How a series of accidents left Boeing 737 Max planes embroiled in controversy

08/01/2024

Officials inspect an engine recovered from the crashed Lion Air jet in 2018 (Picture: AP)

A mid-air incident that saw a huge chunk ripped from the side of a plane at 16,000ft forced a Boeing to make an emergency landing last week.

But this isn’t the first time manufacturer’s jets have made headlines for the wrong reasons.

Boeing was forced to ground 171 of its 218 737 Max 9 jets following the incident on an Alaska Airlines flight on Friday, when a piece of the fuselage broke away from the plane as it made its ascent.

A large section of the plane, including a door port, blew off and left a gaping hole ‘the size of a refrigerator’ in the side of the jet.

Passengers screamed as the explosive rush of air damaged several rows of seats and pulled insulation from the walls, while the cockpit door flew open and banged into a lavatory door.

The force ripped the headset off the co-pilot and the captain lost part of her headset. A quick reference checklist kept within easy reach of the pilots flew out of the open cockpit.

That missing piece of the plane has been found and investigations are ongoing to figure out what caused this latest incident.

The 737 Max is no stranger to controversy, with all of the jets grounded for two years after two crashes led to more than 300 deaths.

Metro.co.uk takes a look back at Boeing’s chequered past.

October 2018 – Lion Air crash

Lion Air flight 610 was set to fly from Soekarno–Hatta International Airport, Jakarta, to Depati Amir Airport, Pangkal Pinang, in Indonesia, on October 29, 2018.

However the plane crashed into the Java Sea 13 minutes after takeoff, killing all 189 passengers and crew on board.

This was the first major accident involving a new 737 Max, and had the highest death toll of any accident or incident involving a 737-series aircraft.

Indonesian authorities examining debris from the Lion Air crash (Picture: ADEK BERRY/AFP)

November 2018 – Software changes are considered

The American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announces that, alongside Boeing, it is investigating whether the plane’s software or design needs to be changed following the Lion Air crash.

March 2019 – Ethiopian Airlines crash

Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 was due to fly from Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya, on March 10, 2019.

Six minutes after takeoff the plane crashed near the town of Bishoftu, killing all 157 people on board.

It is the deadliest aircraft incident to occur in Ethiopia, as well as the airline’s deadliest accident to date.

That month, China’s aviation regulator was the first in the world to ground the Max, followed by others including the US.

April 2019 – Safety review

The FAA formed an international team to review the 737 Max’s safety.

Boeing cut its monthly production by nearly 20%.

Rescuers work at the scene of an Ethiopian Airlines plane crash in 2019 (Picture: AP)

July-December 2019

In July of 2019, Boeing posted its largest-ever quarterly loss.

Its board of directors created a permanent safety committee to oversee development, manufacturing, and operation of its aircraft.

In October of that year it fired Kevin McAllister, the top executive of its commercial airplanes division.

Two months later the company fired its CEO, Dennis Muilenburg.

January-June 2020

In January, Boeing stopped producing its 737 jets, its biggest assembly-line halt in more than 20 years.

However the company resumed producing 737 Max jets at a ‘low rate’ in May.

In June, Boeing began a series of long-delayed flight tests of its redesigned 737 Max with regulators at the controls.

September 2020 – Investigation results

An 18-month investigation by a U.S. House of Representatives panel finds Boeing failed in its design and development of the Max as well as its transparency with the FAA, and that the FAA failed in oversight and certification.

November 2020 – The 737 Max can fly again

An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max in 2020 (Picture: AP)

The FAA lifted its grounding order this month, with the EU’s Aviation Safety Agency following in January 2021.

December 2020 – New legislation passes

US congress passed legislation to reform how the FAA certifies new airplanes, including requiring manufacturers to disclose certain safety-critical information to the FAA.

March 2021 – ‘Major safety concerns’

China’s aviation regulator says there are major safety concerns with the Max which need to be ‘properly addressed’ before conducting flight tests.

April 2021 – Electrical problems

Boeing halted 737 Max deliveries after electrical problems force part of the fleet to be grounded again.

November 2021 – Compensation

Current and former Boeing company directors reach a $237.5 million (£187 million) settlement with shareholders to settle lawsuits over safety oversight of the 737 Max.

October-December 2022 – Certification review

Wreckage of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight in 2019 (Picture: REUTERS)

In October, the FAA told Boeing that some key documents submitted as part of the certification review of the 737 Max 7 are incomplete and others need a reassessment.

In December, Congress agrees to extend a deadline for new standards for modern cockpit alerts stemming from the 2020 legislation after intense lobbying from Boeing.

April-December 2023

In April of last year, Boeing paused deliveries of some 737 Maxs to deal with a new supplier quality problem involving non-compliant fittings.

In July, its first delivery of the 737 Max 7 was delayed until 2024.

In August, Boeing identified a new 737 Max supplier quality problem, involving improperly drilled holes on the aft pressure bulkhead.

A month later, deliveries of 737 Maxs had dropped to their lowest levels since August 2021.

In December, Boeing made its first direct delivery of a 787 Dreamliner to China since 2019. It’s thought this could be a precursor to China unfreezing deliveries of the 737 Max.